


Fast Times at UFK

by tragicbronson



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, College, Comedy, F/M, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-11 10:03:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20544344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tragicbronson/pseuds/tragicbronson
Summary: The University of Fire, Konoha Campus is considered one of the top-ranking Universities in the world. The stakes are high, but the rewards are sweet. This university caters to those that possess the intelligence, hard work, and dedication necessary to succeed...How the hell any of these idiots got in, no one knows.A Modern AU with no rhyme or reason other than the experience that is College.





	1. Move-in Day

After six hours of unpacking, Sakura was officially moved in. Now that her posters were up, her bed was made, and her desk was neatly organized, her dorm room was finally starting to feel like home.

In her seventh grade science class, she learned about the first successful heart transplant, performed by a large medical team led by the first female surgeon, Dr. Senju Tsunade. It took them 24 hours to complete the surgery, and Sakura vividly remembers seeing a photo of an exhausted Dr. Senju, crumpled on the floor next to her stable patient, looking much too tired to even look for a bed. Looking at that picture, Sakura had felt something stir inside of her that she had never felt before. It was that feeling that has driven her ever since.

Soon after the groundbreaking surgery, Dr. Senju was offered a position at University of Fire, Konoha as the Head of the Medical Department, and it has remained the top-ranked program since.

She’ll never forget that lesson, and every day, in that dingy little classroom, Sakura dreamt of the day that she would be a student at UFK’s prestigious Medical Program. And now here she is. She could pinch herself, she couldn’t believe it!

Just as she finished organizing the closet to her liking, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” she called out. A woman she recognized to be the RA cracked the door slightly and poked her head in. If Sakura’s memory was correct, her name was Shizune.

“Hey, Sakura,” she greeted, a smile on her face. “I just wanted to stop by and introduce you to your new roommate.” Sakura got a glimpse of the girl behind Shizune, who seemed preoccupied with rummaging through her purse.

Sakura perked up with excitement. Her parents had dropped her off a few days early, and Sakura was thankful for the chance to explore her new campus and get comfortable without the crowd of new students. But this was something she had been anxious about since the moment she stepped foot into her dorm. She finally got to meet her roommate!

“Great,” Sakura smiled, and she smoothened out her shirt, hoping to make a good impression.

“Alright,” Shizune said, pushing open the door completely. But when Shizune stepped aside and she finally got a clear view of that blonde hair, long nails, and perfectly done make up, her blood ran cold.

“Sakura, this is your new roommate, Yamanaka – “

“Ino,” Sakura said, her tone a mix of surprise and confusion.

The girl’s head immediately snapped up at the sound of her voice, and she got to see her blue eyes for the first time in years. Sakura had learned to hate that shade.

“Sakura,” she breathed out, her eyes wide and mouth agape. The two stared at each other for a moment, both unsure of what to do or say.

“Oh, you guys already know each other,” Shizune’s voice cut the tension in the air, “Great! I’ll leave you to it.” The older girl quickly bid her goodbyes, and made her exit.

A moment passed. And then another. Ino stood awkwardly at the door of their shared dorm, tapping on the strap of the bag on her shoulder while Sakura just stood.

“Uhm…it’s been a while,” Ino started, “I’m surprised to see you here. Well, I guess not surprised to see you /here/ but surprised to see you… here.”

Sakura scoffed. “Believe me, there’s no one more surprised than me.”

Ino’s brow furrowed and she sighed, finally stepping into the room to set her bags down. “Listen, Sakura – “

“Hey, I’d _love_ to catch up some other time,” Sakura snapped, turning around to grab her purse and her keys before heading out the door, “But I have some plans with some friends. See you.”

Before she could give Ino a chance to respond, she left, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

“And THEN she just goes _‘oh, I’m surprised to see you here_’, like nothing ever even happened between us,” Sakura complained, throwing her hands up in exasperation. She sat back in her chair with a huff, crossing her arms and looking at the two boys across from her.

“Wait, isn’t this the Ino that cut your ponytail off during the formal in eighth grade?” Naruto asked absentmindedly. The boy was a mess, papers scattered about as he tried to sort out his schedule. “This place is huge, you know. My morning class is like – “, he squinted at the mini map they were given during orientation, “ – twenty blocks from the dorms!”

“That’s the Ino you’re talking about?” Sasuke said, without bothering to look up from his phone.

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Have you been paying attention at all?”

“Of course I have,” Sasuke deadpanned, still looking down. “Hold on, this is the Ino that got suspended because you told the principal she cheated on the math test.”

Sakura cringed, and Naruto snorted.

“Yeah, but this is also the Ino that pushed you down the stairs because she thought you were Sasuke’s girlfriend,” Naruto reminded.

“Four steps hardly counts as _stairs_,” Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“Hey, I sprained my ankle,” Sakura retorted.

“But then, that means that this is the Ino that beat up those girls because they said you had a big forehead,” Sasuke offered.

“Right,” Naruto said, “So then, this is that Ino that you tutored for three months and helped pass her Algebra class.”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Sakura said, “And yes, it is _that_ Ino.”

The two boys chuckled at the pink haired girl’s frustrations.

“What was it between the two of you, anyway,” Naruto asked, “It seemed like you guys couldn’t decide whether you were best friends or mortal enemies.”

“I hate her,” Sakura said, but even as the words came out she knew she didn’t mean it.

“No, you don’t,” Sasuke stated, and he finally put his phone in his pocket to give Sakura his full attention. “She didn’t end up going to our high school… Where’d she go?”

“Who knows,” Sakura spat out, “She just left. No reason, no warning, no goodbye. Just up and left everyone behind like…”

“Ah,” Sasuke said, sharing a look with Naruto. “I see.”

“See what?” Sakura asked.

“Hey, look, Sasuke, it’s your brother,” Naruto pointed, and Sakura turn around just in time to catch Sasuke’s hot older brother walk into the student center.

Being Uchiha Sasuke’s friend has gotten Sakura and Naruto a lot of heat over the years. He was always the smartest in their class, always the best in sports, always the one all the girls liked. Sasuke never picked fights, fights always picked him. And he was never one to back down. Neither was Naruto. Sakura actually became stronger than most of the boys in her class, because she definitely wasn’t one to back down either.

He wasn’t exactly the nicest person, but when you’re handsome and rich, no one really cares about your personality. Sakura suspects that the only reason he’s stuck around her and Naruto so long was because they’re the only ones that never asked him for anything, and the only ones that didn’t mind his crappy attitude.

From the outside looking in, it’s not surprising that someone would wonder why a guy like Sasuke decided to be friends with the likes of them. That probably just goes to show how little anyone really knew of Sasuke at all, because Sakura can’t really remember a time when he wasn’t there for them.

But Sakura will openly and gladly admit that the best part about being Sasuke’s friend is getting to be around his hot family.

Uchiha Itachi walked in with two boys on either side of him; one Sakura recognized, and one she did not. Their cousin, Obito, was to Itachi’s left, smiling already as they opened the door. Sakura knew Obito; he was generally kind to her, albeit a little goofy, but always made everyone laugh. Trailing behind them was a boy she had never seen before, though his silver hair might have made him look older. He was laughing at something Obito said, and he walked in with an easy grace.

“Itachi,” Naruto called out, waving his hand. “Over here!”

All three boys turned their head to the direction of Naruto’s voice, changing their direction once they saw them.

“Well, will you look at this,” Obito said as they approached, shooting a hand out to ruffle Naruto’s hair. The blonde boy swatted his hand away. “The three stooges actually made it into college.”

“Very funny,” Sasuke said dryly.

“Hello, Sakura-chan,” Itachi greeted and Sakura returned it with a smile, “So, even without the restrictions of high school, you still choose to hang out with these two?”

Sakura shrugged. “It’s hard to make new friends.”

“Speaking of,” Naruto interrupted, glancing at the boy standing next to Obito.

“Oh, how rude of me,” Obito said, stepping aside to finally give his friend the spotlight. “Guys, this is my friend, Hatake Kakashi. He just got accepted into grad school here, getting his Masters in Electrical Engineering.”

The silver haired boy gave a small wave, and a crooked smile. “Yo.”

Sakura had been studying him since they approached. He was tall – taller than Itachi – but he had a relaxed posture. He mostly kept his hands in his pockets, and the expression on his face could best be described as ‘bored’. A thin scar ran down his left eye, which only led her to the beauty mark on the left side of his chin. His jaw was narrow, but strong, and the lopsided smile was framed with full lips. His silver hair stood up in different directions, tying it all up in a package that just made him look so… hot.

Sakura could not stop staring. Do all hot people just decide that they knew each other?

“Hey,” Naruto whispered in her ear as Obito blabbered on about how he and Kakashi were childhood friends, “Do you want a tissue? You got a little drool dripping down there.”

Sakura jumped, a little embarrassed that she had been caught. She turned to nudge Naruto hard with her elbow, and when she turned back, she caught Kakashi’s eyes fixed on her. She suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious. Her outfit was wrinkled (she practically ran out of her dorm to get away from Ino), she wasn’t wearing any make up, and god , did she even remember to brush her hair?

“I didn’t catch your name,” he said, sticking his hand out.

Sakura would have sat there for hours with her mouth agape if Naruto hadn’t returned the favor and stomped down on her foot. She stuck her hand out quickly, before squeaking out a pathetic, “Sakura.”

“Sakura,” he repeated before grasping her small hand in his, shaking it firmly before letting go. “Well, it was really great meeting all of you. Guess I got lucky when I ran into Obito on my way to campus.”

“He did his undergrad at some University in Lightning Country,” Obito said, slapping an arm around Kakashi. “But now that you’re back, we’ll be seeing each other more, eh?”

Kakashi let out an amused huff.

“Won’t we?” Sakura asked, and she tried to ignore the curious stare Sasuke gave her.

He gave her a little smile, and her stomach went into a frenzy.

“I’ll make sure of it,” he said, “But right now, I gotta go. I have an appointment with a professor in twenty minutes.”

Kakashi bid his goodbyes, giving each of the boys those handshakes that boys do before directing his attention to her.

“It was nice to meet you, Sakura.”

And with a small wave, he was out the door.

“I know that look in your eyes, Sakura,” Sasuke said with a warning tone.

“What look?” She asked defensively.

“Keep it in your pants.”


	2. Chapter 2

Ino was watching a particularly large raven fly by the window when she felt two soft taps on her forehead. She shook her head, turning back to the forgotten chemistry homework that was laid out in front of her.

“Earth to Ino,” Shikamaru said, wielding the mechanical pencil he used to tap her back into reality, “Look, if you’re not going to pay attention to what I’m saying, then I’d much rather be napping before my next class.”

“I’m sorry,” Ino half-heartedly mumbled before turning to the page she saw open on Shikamaru’s textbook. He gave her an odd look, and she tried to ignore it to focus on the formulas on the page.

Shikamaru let out a big sigh. “Not that I’m complaining, but you’ve been unusually quiet the past couple of weeks.”

Ino chewed on her lip, before finally groaning and slamming her head down on her textbook. “It’s my roommate.”

“Is she as troublesome as you?”

Ino shook her head. “It’s worse than that,” she said before finally looking up. “My roommate is Sakura.”

Shikamaru’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Haruno Sakura? From the Fire Academy?”

Ino nodded.

Shikamaru let out a low whistle. “That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time.”

“Yeah,” Ino replied, “It’s like living with a Ghost from Middle School’s Past.”

“That bad?”

“Bad,” Ino sighed. “She doesn’t even look in my direction. When I walk in, she’s either doing her homework or sleeping. I need to wear a parka in there because it is ice cold.”

Shikamaru nodded, digesting Ino’s words. “Well, did you ever reach out to her after moving?”

Ino was embarrassed to admit that she never did, and her silence just confirmed Shikamaru’s suspicions.

“Tsk. Imagine your best friend moving to a different city without any warning…”

“She was _not_ my best friend.”

“I think the two of you were the only ones that thought that,” Shikamaru said before standing up to pack his things.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Back to my room,” he said, “You’re obviously not going to be able to focus, so I’m just gonna go ahead and take that nap now.”

“Wait, you can’t just leave,” Ino called out to Shikamaru’s retracting form. “What about my roommate issue?!”

“I think you already know, Ino,” he replied, raising a hand goodbye.

Ino groaned, slamming her textbook shut and shoving her things in her bag.

She hated their tutoring sessions.

* * *

It was that odd time of the year when it was cold enough in the mornings to wear a sweater, but too hot to wear one in the afternoons.

That was the situation Naruto was in at this moment, sweating in a black hoodie as he made the long trek from his afternoon class back to his dorm. He was seriously considering investing in a skateboard.

As much as he wanted to complain, he had to admit that the walk across campus was actually quite beautiful. The courtyard was large, with cobblestone pathways cutting through luscious green grass. In the middle was a large fountain, and Naruto heard that there was a ritual for freshmen to take a sip out of it for good luck. He nearly did it, too, but he distinctly remembered seeing a frat boy peeing in it, so he prompted out of that tradition quickly.

When he finally got to his building, there was a boy with dark hair carrying a large bag full of what looked like paintbrushes, and a black leather portfolio struggling to use his dorm key card. Naruto could hear him grumbling to himself as the light on the door flashed yellow every time he swiped his card.

“Here,” Naruto said as he approached, making the boy turn his head in surprise, “My friend’s brother taught me this trick.”

Naruto took out his own key card from his wallet, swiping it down the card reader, but quickly swiping it back up and down again. The light turned green, and he held the door open for the boy.

“Thank you,” he said tightly, and the two of them walked towards the elevator.

“What floor?” Naruto asked when they stepped in.

“Twelve.”

“Oh, me too,” Naruto said excitedly, pressing the button, “Are you an art major?”

“What makes you say that,” the boy replied dryly, looking down at his bag of art supplies.

Naruto snorted. “Must be nice, though. I can’t draw a circle to save my life.”

The elevator dinged, signaling their arrival to their floor. To Naruto’s surprise, the dark-haired boy began walking down the same direction as he was.

“Are you following me,” he joked, but all the dark-haired boy did was stare at him blankly.

“My dorm room number is 132, which is in this direction. I am not following you,” he replied.

“You can’t be serious,” Naruto said with his mouth slightly agape. “My room’s 133!”

“That is quite the coincidence.”

“Are you a freshman too?” Naruto asked, “What high school did you come from?”

“I am a freshman, but I was homeschooled prior to coming here.”

“You were homeschooled for that long?” Naruto asked, shocked. The boy simply nodded in reply.

“Wow,” Naruto breathed, “So then, do you know anyone here?”

“Due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to miss Welcome Week, so… No, I don’t.”

The two of them arrived to their respective rooms, right across from each other.

“Well,” Naruto stuck his hand out, “I’m Naruto. Consider me your first friend here at UFK.”

The boy looked a bit surprised, and unsure of what to do. Slowly, he reached out and returned the handshake. “My name is Sai. It’s nice to meet you.”

Naruto gave him a bright smile, turning around to unlock his door. Before he walked in, something compelled him to say one last thing.

“Hey, Sai,” Naruto said, catching him just as he was about to close his own door. “I’m about to meet up with my friends at the dining hall to eat in about an hour. Want to come with?”

* * *

“That looks so disgusting, Sasuke,” Sakura cringed, watching him peel back the top of his Tupperware container.

“It’s a caprese salad, Sakura,” Sasuke replied.

“It looks soggy,” she retorted. “There are so many choices here. Why are you packing your own food?”

“Do you see any caprese salads?” he said, and Sakura begrudgingly admitted that no, she did not.

“Hey guys,” the familiar voice of their third party came, and Sakura spotted Naruto’s big blonde head approaching their table. She was a little surprised to see a smaller, darker head following right behind him, both of whom were carrying food.

“This is Sai, he’s kinda my neighbor! He’s a freshman too,” Naruto said, introducing his new companion who gave a small wave. “Sai, these are my best friends, Sasuke and Sakura.”

“Nice to meet you, Sai,” Sakura greeted with a warm smile, and Sasuke simply nodded.

Sakura and Sasuke were sitting across from each other; Naruto took the seat next to Sasuke, which left Sai to sit next to Sakura.

“How are you liking your first few weeks on campus,” Sakura asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

“It’s a suitable college for the major that I have declared,” Sai replied. Sakura gave Naruto a look that said _‘where did you get this guy from’_ but he just shrugged.

“What’s your major?” She asked, hoping to spark a better conversation.

“Art.”

“No way,” Sakura exclaimed excitedly. “Could I see some of your work?”

“Well, I don’t have my portfolio with me, but…”

Sai dug through the pocket of his black jeans and pulled out his phone. He unlocked it, scrolling through until he was able to find what he wanted to show her.

“Here you go. This album is full of my drawings, just scroll to the left.”

Sakura eagerly grabbed the phone and held it out so everyone at the table could see what she was swiping through.

Sai’s art style consisted of big, bold lines, and detailed characters. He didn’t use color too often, but when he did it was to emphasize an important aspect of his image. There were some landscapes and portraits, but it seems that his preferred subject were animals.

“Sai, these are amazing,” Sakura breathed out, and Naruto was quick to agree.

“I haven’t really seen any artwork like this before!”

“Not bad,” Sasuke spoke up for the first time, and Naruto smirked. That was Sasuke talk for _‘I’m Impressed.’_

“Thank you very much,” Sai said dryly, but Sakura noticed the slightest hint of a blush on his pale cheeks.

“A lot of these would look great in the art show they have in the fall,” Sakura mentioned, remembering the flyer she saw posted on the community board.

“Thank you, but that is not what I wanted to do with my art,” Sai had said, picking around at his noodles.

“Really? What did you want do with it,” asked Naruto.

“My uncle never approved of it. He said it was waste but,” Sai hesitated before continuing his sentence, “I actually wanted to do animation.”

“A waste? Are you kidding me! Animation is an artwork in and of itself,” Naruto said, and a piece of lettuce flew from his mouth and landed on Sakura’s shirt.

“Naruto! That’s disgusting! You are way too old to be talking with your mouth full,” Sakura yelled, and Naruto just laughed. Sakura then tried to get a piece of Sasuke’s caprese salad, but he had refused and claimed that she didn’t deserve any of it.

He had never been good at making any friends. He spent a lot of time on his own, and focused on honing his craft. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was afraid of going to a college so far from home, surrounded by a million faces that blurred together.

But now that he was around these three faces, he figured it can’t be that bad, after all.

The small smile on Sai’s lips didn’t go unnoticed.

* * *

“Can I get an application?”

A familiar voice that he had only heard once before made Kakashi’s ears perked up.

He remembered the attractive, pink-haired girl that was friends with Obito’s cousin. She probably hoped that he didn’t notice the way she had stared, but he did and he was flattered. If he could get the attention of a girl like that, then at least he knows he’s still got it.

“Sakura,” he said, remembering her name, though he doesn’t think he could forget it.

She whipped her head around, and he was a little taken aback by the shade of her eyes. They were vibrantly green, and popped out even more since they were open wide in surprise.

“K-Kakashi,” she breathed out, turning around to give him his full attention. He was pleased to hear that she remembered his name too, so he stood up from his chair to approach her.

“You remembered,” he pointed out, and the small blush that crept on her cheeks almost made him want to tease her.

“I have a good memory,” she chuckled, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck.

“Getting a cup of coffee or...?” he had asked, noticing the thin stack of papers in her hand.

“Oh, no coffee,” she said, waving her stack, “Just job hunting. My parents gave me one free year of room and board, and then I have to figure it out from there.”

Kakashi raised his eyebrows in surprise. “So you have to find an apartment next year?"

”Yeah,” Sakura sighed. “I figured I better start earning and saving now.”

Kakashi had to laugh. “You’re prepared.”

Sakura tilted her head to the side. “Shouldn’t I be?”

Kakashi just shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t have a place to live when I moved here until I ran into Obito, and he said he was looking for a roommate.”

Sakura’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me.”

“Nope.”

The employee at the counter came back then and handed Sakura a paper application.

“Well, apartment deposits in this area _do_ get pretty heavy so,” Kakashi said, “I’ll let you get to it.”

He had offered her a small smile, and she returned it with a bright one.

“Catch you later?” she asked, and Kakashi realized that she probably doesn’t know what her smile can do to people.

“Definitely,” he replied. She walked out the door, and he made it back to his table where his morning coffee grew a little cold, thinking that he probably liked the attention she gave him a little too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!


	3. Orientation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura starts her new job!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full Credit for the idea for this chapter goes to Mrssakurahatake! I hope I did your idea justice :3
> 
> If anyone wants to throw some prompts my way, feel free!

“The hours of the restaurant are a little weird. We open at 2:00pm, and we close at 2:00am. We’re one of the only places near campus that’s open late, so we get a lot of drunken students on their way home from whatever party. It also doesn’t help that we have a bar… Anyway, did you memorize the menu like I asked?”

Sakura nodded, looking up from the notes she was taking on her mini notepad. After two weeks, thirty seven applications, and twelve interviews, she managed to land a waitressing job at a ramen “restobar” (which was a restaurant-style bar…. Or bar-style restaurant, Sakura can’t remember). While it wasn’t exactly the job she had in mind, she heard from multiple sources that one can make good money off of tips alone, so she felt a little more comforted. 

The girl that was training her was a girlby the name of Tenten. She was in her sophomore year at UFK, patient, kind and answered Sakura’s questions with a smile. This was only Sakura’s second shift, and she tried not to feel overwhelmed, but it was her first job. The only thing she did on her first shift was fill out paperwork and watch safety videos. Sakura was especially worried about having to carry multiple plates of food at once. It helped a lot to have someone patient and understanding.

“There’s three shifts, but I think you’ll mostly be working mid shift or closing, now that I look at your availability,” Tenten was mumbling to herself as she reviewed some paperwork, “But don’t worry, there’s always at least one other waitress working, not to mention the hostess and the bar staff, so you’ll have plenty of help.”

Sakura nodded and smiled at Tenten. “Thank you. You’ve really been so helpful.”

“No problem,” Tenten replied, shrugging before giving Sakura a sympathetic look, “I was a freshman when I started working here, too. I know the struggle. And actually, it was real hectic when the last girl quit, so really you're the one helping us. Come on, last time you were stuck in the office watching those boring videos. Let me introduce you to everyone else.”

Sakura followed Tenten around the restaurant as she led her towards the entrance where there was a wooden hostess table, and a raven-haired girl was folding napkins.

“Hinata,” Tenten greeted her, “I wanted to introduce you to the new girl. This is Sakura.”

Sakura stuck out her hand in greeting, and Hinata took it gently. It was then that Sakura realized that she recognized her face. “I think I know you. Don’t we have Chemistry together?”

“I believe so,” Hinata said, smiling shyly as she continued to fold napkins. “With Professor Iruka, right?”

“Yeah,” Sakura confirmed, happy to see a familiar face. “I hope we get a chance to talk more.”

Hinata had a hint of a blush on her cheeks, and Sakura found the girl a little endearing. “I hope we do, as well.”

Tenten then led her to the kitchen.

Sakura had already met Teuchi-san, the owner and head chef, when she was interviewed for this job, but in the kitchen with him were two other young men and a girl whose faces she did not recognize. She quickly learned the girl was Teuchi-san’s daughter and the only other waitress, Ayame. The two boys, Sota and Koga, were Teuchi-san’s sous chef. They promised to make her a bowl of ramen whenever her shift ended, and Sakura was thankful, but can only imagine what so many bowls of ramen would do to her figure.

“And last, but certainly not least, this is our barback,” Tenten said as the two girls made their way out of the kitchen and to the bar section. “Hey, Tobi! Come out and say hi to the new girl!”

“Yeah, yeah I’m coming! I have a lot of crap to do, you know, since King Scarecrow just decides to show up whenever he wants,” a familiar, loud and boisterous voice came from the supply room in the back. It took her a minute, but as soon as she realized who that voice belonged to, Sakura’s stomach clenched.

“Alright, alright. Let’s meet the new recruit,” he had started to say, but the dark haired boy gasped as soon as he turned the corner. “Well, well, well! Look who we have here!”

Sakura waved meekly to Obito, trying to ignore the bewildered look on Tenten’s face. “Hey, Obito. Check it out, I got a new job,” she said, pointing to her uniform.

Obito’s face spread out into a wide grin. “Your new job is here? At Ichiraku?”

Sakura shrugged. “That’s what it’s looking like. Who’s Tobi?”

Obito laughed. “I’m Tobi. I kind of - how do you say this - _rebranded_ myself, if you will, when I got into college. Only family and close friends call me Obito these days.”

Sakura scoffed at the same time Tenten did. Sakura turned to her coworker, almost forgetting she was there.

“Excuse me,” Tenten exclaimed, “Who the hell is _Obito? _And are you telling me we aren’t close friends?”

Obito reached out to pat Tenten’s shoulder twice. “Of course we are, Ten. You just missed the ‘Obito’ train. It’s Tobi for you.”

Tenten rolled her eyes, grabbing a rag from behind the bar counter and chucking it at Obito. “Wait, so you guys know each other?”

“Yeah,” Obito answered, “Sakura’s friends with my grumpy little cousin.”

Sakura laughed, but suddenly remembered something Obito had said. “So who’s King Scarecrow?”

At this, both Obito and Tenten started laughing.

“That’s the new bar manager,” Tenten explained, “He’s a good worker, if you can ignore the fact that he’s never on time.”

Sakura’s nose scrunched. “Doesn’t that bother Teuchi-san?”

“Well, normally it would,” Tenten said, “But he’s hot, and he brings in business, so Teuchi-san can’t complain. Ah, I think I see him coming now.”

The bell above the door rang, and Obito’s already huge smile grew bigger than she knew possible.

“I think you’re going to like him, Sakura-chan,” Obito snickered, and Sakura turned just in time to see the recent subject of most of her day time fantasies walk into the room like he owned the place.

Sakura immediately felt her face grow hot as Kakashi shrugged off his jean jacket to leave him in a plain black button up.

“Kakashi,” Obito yelled, causing the silver-haired man to turn his head in their direction. “Come meet the new waitress!”

Sakura turned and smacked Obito’s arm reflexively, and the loud Uchiha just laughed.

“Sakura,” she heard his voice say, and all too suddenly he was standing in front of her. “What are you doing here?”

“Weren’t you listening to me, Kakashi,” Obito rolled his eyes and threw an arm around Kakashi’s shoulder. “She’s the new waitress!”

Kakashi raised a brow as his gaze shifted from Obito to Sakura. “Here?”

Sakura nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

Kakashi’s lips had formed into a half smile, and his eyes locked onto hers with such a curious look that Sakura almost didn’t notice when he stuck his hand out for her to shake. “Congratulations! Welcome to the team.”

Sakura cautiously took his hand, ignoring the fact that it nearly enveloped her own, and shook it once. “Thank you.”

He didn’t look away until she let go of his hand. “Well. I better go get the bar ready. Good luck training, Sakura-chan.”

Sakura nodded, and he turned to the bar. Obito was nagging about how he had already done most of the prep work when she heard a bell ring and a soft greeting come out of Hinata’s mouth.

“Alright, here’s our first customer of the evening. Watch me, and you can practice with the next one that comes in,” Tenten said, but not before motioning her head towards the bar manager that was wiping down the counter just ten feet away. “Then, you can tell me all about _that_ later.”

“What are you talking about,” Sakura squeaked, but even she knows her voice isn’t very convincing, “There’s nothing to tell, they’re just my friends.”

Tenten just rolled her eyes before walking towards the occupied table. “Welcome to Ichiraku! My name is Tenten, I’ll be your server today. Could I get you started with some drinks?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter! Finding time is hard ^-^"
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Please Comment & Kudos <3


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